


10-67

by LuthienLuinwe



Series: Tens [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Damian Wayne Needs a Hug, Guilt, Jason Todd is a good brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-24 21:00:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14363565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuthienLuinwe/pseuds/LuthienLuinwe
Summary: "The dead should stay dead, B," Jason had told him.And for once, he had agreed.





	10-67

No one was safe in the vigilante life; no one knew that better than Batman. But until Jason had been killed, Bruce had been foolish enough to think that death was something that happened to everyone else, not to his family.

After Jason, things had changed. He was more careful, he made sure his kids were too… Had it been any other way, Bruce thought he could have handled it. Had it been one of the major villains he couldn’t keep off the streets, it would have been different. For a time, he had been worried Deathstroke or Blockbuster _would_ kill him. But it had been some attention-seeking kid who had taken Dick from him.

Bruce could still hear Oracle’s voice coming into his communicator. _“Oracle to Batman. Shooting at Bludhaven National Bank. Officer Grayson’s down. Sounds bad._ Officer Grayson. Not Nightwing. He’d spent so much time training them to be good little crime fighters that he hadn’t taught them how to keep themselves safe in the real world too.

The drive from Gotham to Bludhaven should have taken twenty minutes. Bruce had made it in ten. He’d had to park the Batmobile out of sight, and he was grateful for once that Alfred insisted he keep a change of civilian clothes in the back.

_“Condition?”_

_“Critical. En route to Bludhaven General.”_

Bruce shook his head as the evening’s events started to catch up with him. They had taken Dick to Bludhaven General Hospital, the most pathetic excuse for a hospital Bruce had ever seen in his life, and they had taken him in a damn ambulance. He should have been airlifted to Gotham Mercy. They had a trauma center. They could deal with injuries like that…

_“Status?”_

_“Dead on arrival.”_

He walked into the hospital, feeling nothing but raw, unadulterated hatred toward whoever was responsible. One of Dick’s fellow officers had shot the bastard. Bruce couldn’t even bring himself to care. “They want to do an autopsy,” the nurse told him. Bruce had asked to see him first, and she had reluctantly let him in.

He could almost see the scene replaying in his head. “He died a hero,” Dick’s captain had said. “Threw himself in front of a civilian. Didn’t even have a vest on. The woman’s still pretty traumatized, though.” God, he could see it so clearly. He could see Dick jump in front of the woman. He could hear the gun click and fire. He could see the first bullet lodge itself in his son’s shoulder, the second in his back.

There was no need for an autopsy. He’d drowned in his own blood on the way to the hospital. But the police needed it done.

He’d died in pain, and he’d died alone.

Bruce wished it had been him instead.

There was still a chance they could bring him back though. Bruce just doubted the one person who could help would be on board.

* * *

“We both have League connections,” Bruce said to the young man standing across from him. Jason had arrived at Bludhaven General almost as soon as Bruce had. He was glad to see the boy still cared about some things, but it would have been nice to have more than a few minutes alone.

“I told you I ain’t joining the Justice League or anything related to it,” Jason shook his head before frowning. “Oh no. No. I know where you’re going with this.”

“Between the two of us, we can get him into that pit,” it was desperate. It was risky. It was insane. But it was the only chance that Bruce had at getting Dick back. He had to try. He had to do something.

“Absolutely not,” Jason crossed his arms and glared at Bruce once he had finished explaining his idea, not that Bruce was at all surprised. Still, it was the only chance they had. “Have you even gone to see your kid yet? I’m sure he’s a mess.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Bruce folded his arms across his chest. Dick had only been gone for two hours, and Bruce didn’t plan on leaving the hospital until the medical examiner came to take the body away.

“The dead should stay dead, B,” Jason responded before leaving, no doubt to smoke. Bruce sighed deeply and glanced over at Dick’s body, already going stiff and pale, two words that never should have been associated with his eldest...

He swore when Alfred approached him, Damian not far behind. “He shouldn’t be here.”

“With all due respect, Master Bruce,” Alfred responded. “Master Dick was his guardian for quite some time. The two are… were… rather close.”

“He shouldn’t see him like this,” Bruce shook his head and glanced at the body that used to be Dick once more. 

Bruce watched as Damian just stared at the body through the window, face stoic as ever. But Bruce could still see him shaking slightly, could still see the tears he was fighting. Hell, Bruce was fighting them too. Bruce put a hand on his son’s shoulder, and for once Damian didn’t try to fight it. “He loved you.”

“We can bring him to Grandfather,” Damian’s voice shook. Bruce had never heard it shake before.

“It’s not what he would want,” Bruce shook his head and pulled his son into a tight hug, never wanting to let go. “Just think of all the flips and flying he’s doing right now.”

“He needs me,” Damian’s voice broke, breaking Bruce’s heart along with it.

“He’ll be okay,” Bruce promised and led a reluctant Damian away from the window and to a nearby chair. “You couldn’t have stopped it.” _I could have. I should have._

“I should have…” Damian started to argue, but Bruce cut him off.

“You did what you were told to do. You wouldn’t have been able to do anything even if you were out on patrol with us.”

“I should have never left him,” Damian hid his face. Bruce had never seen him show so much emotion before. He just wished it wouldn’t have been negative emotion.

He hugged Damian close and shut his eyes.

He’d lost two sons already.

He was going to do everything to keep Tim and Damian from being hurt, and to keep Jason from being hurt again.

Because he wasn’t going to lose another son.

Never again.


End file.
